Second Battle of Fort Wagner

The Second Battle of Fort Wagner (18 July 1863) was a minor battle of the American Civil War that occurred when a 5,000-strong Union army under Brigadier-General George Crockett Strong launched a failed and costly assault against Fort Wagner, South Carolina, defended by 1,800 Confederate troops under William B. Taliaferro. The fort was defended by a large array of artillery and a sizeable garrison, and the fort was positioned next to some marshland and the sea, meaning that attacking Union regiments would have to advance single-file down the beach, braving artillery fire. For four days, 6 US Navy ironclads under John A. Dahlgren softened the fort's defenses with a naval bombardment, and Colonel Robert Gould Shaw offered to have his all-black 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment lead the advance on the fort. The regiment lost half of its strength during the assault, coming under intense artillery fire as it advanced on the fort; the fort's defenders held the Union troops back at the walls. Shaw was killed while shouting, "Forward, 54th, Forward!", and the flagbearer beside him was also shot; the African-American troops kept the flag flying, never letting it hit the ground; when one flagbearer was killed, another one would succeed him. The white regiments also suffered heavy losses, and the Union army was defeated in the battle. The Confederates would abandon the fort on 7 September 1863 after heavy bombardment, and the sacrifice of the 54th Massachusetts would become a symbol of African-American military bravery, and it would become a legend.